Echo
by Naani17
Summary: Trigon captured many from the fallen Azarath in his reign of terror. He kept most alive for his experiments, or enjoyment. Elia used desperate measures to find Raven, but even she is tainted. Earth has a far more lighthearted team to get them through times of disaster. (RobStar) (BBOC) Mature themes later addressed: Gore, adult situations, death etc
1. Dog eat Dog

Raven sat there, in comforting silence on the Titan Tower rooftop, as she always did. Levitating a small distance above the ground, in a pose mirroring that as she has always practised before, pushed her thoughts into a semblance of tranquillity. No heavy emotion was allowed here, she told herself. Here, she was safe. At least, as long as she kept calm that is.

So a series of deep, but cleansing breaths began, with words and faces leaving her mind - in order for a truly relaxing session to take place.

The warm evening sunlight had long left the spot Raven was in, leaving her dark cape slightly catching on the gentle breeze which followed the sunset. The absence of the sunset, and the beginning of the night, also meant that shadows covered the girl, creating the emphasis that it was colder outside than she initially thought.

Which benefited Raven, as the cool air was a welcome distraction from the days' thoughts.

With Trigon defeated only days ago, and the city resuming as nothing ever happened, Raven had a chance of living a normal life - without any restrictions or fears that she would one day cause mayhem due to a higher force. This time, she had a chance to choose which path she'd walk.

Still, she tried to focus far from those thoughts - as they irked inner fears.

_'What if he found a way to return?'_ She shook this thought from her mind.

_'Can I really resist such devastation, or am I doomed to repeat him?'_ Again, she clenched her eyes shut, forcing away picturing any form of her responsibilities in the destruction.

It took a few moments of silence to reach the clarity and focus she required to meditate again and only then was she able to relax her eyes to simply close gently.

She also needed this moment in order to meditate without straining her fists - but instead resuming her lotus position.

She would definitely have to avoid thinking of the last few days, especially how her friends were so kind on her birthday, after all. They supported her when she was at her weakest, so she must return the favour by not falling apart now - she owed them a true victory over Trigon.

It's not like she wanted to pretend that the apocalypse never happened, it's just so much to take in that her purpose within her soul was no longer necessary or binding. Such freedom was overwhelming. Such repairs which would be needed are also daunting to think about.

So, she remained on the rooftop a little longer, just to make sure that her feelings were truly repressed so that she could walk the tower and be what her friends needed her to be.

Azarath was destroyed. Arella forced an illusion of its' prime in Ravens' stead, in order to keep her mind at ease. Its' citizens were really captured or slaughtered by Trigon. The teachings and rule of Azar was completely eradicated.

The destruction of Trigons' reign, however, was far from over. Despite the repairs in Jump City, there were other realms which were only beginning to fall to chaos. Without Trigon leading his own realm, demons, souls and wisps were without cause, falling to their primal needs for destruction. However, with no powerful leader enforcing rules and laws, it became a dimension of dog-eat-dog, and survival of the fittest.

Here, in its' prime, it would have been a magnificent plane of fiery restrictions, and rock formations to remind the lesser worms that there was no escape, no exit. For a dictator, an entire civilisation could be fitted, and punished, to follow his every whim, or be executed. Rivers of sulphur and magma matched descriptions of hellish thoughts, while the claustrophobic atmosphere of an enclosing cave almost prevented any poor soul from witnessing a glimpse of the sky.

Even without Trigon, this dimension still existed. Too many were enslaved to simply fit through the gap he had left, not enough managed to escape when he fell through Ravens' onslaught. So, many souls remained, searching for an opening away from the primal demons seeking murderous thrills.

Ever since the fall of Azarath, many citizens were captured. Those under the teachings of Azar were targeted - either executed on sight, or captured to fuel Trigons' work.

It had been more organised throughout Trigons' rule. The men were overworked as labourers, harvesting souls for Trigon - most women were too - but as a demon, Trigon kept some women for his private needs. Some were kept for rigorous training, to take part in producing the next army, the powers of most were changed and poisoned to meet Trigons' needs, whereas others were simply toyed with - hunted or worse - to set an example to the others.

Now, however, with this realm in chaos, each band of citizens was separated, leaving many to fight on their own, looking for a way out. With their powers augmented, changed or depleted through Trigons' experiments, no one could teleport themselves away to a safer place. Most could not heal, or even summon enough strength to levitate.

It truly was a gruesome scene, as decrepit buildings housed either demons feasting, or hidden survivors, praying for another way out. Most survivors thought it was too risky to bulk together in groups, instead electing to separate and scout ahead - then report back for safe passages. Few ever returned, and their bodies were found dying a few blocks ahead.

Small messages, items or thoughts could be teleported into another dimension at random, optimistically hoping their distress signal would be picked up by a fellow survivor of the Azar teachings, or that the nobles left in the Golden City of Azarath would rush to their aid. Those who could conjure enough sorcery to use the demons' souls as a battery were able to transmit these, but it greatly weakened them.

Odds were slim, however, considering how Azarath was a pacifistic nation, meaning how it would be unlikely that any outside the realm would be able to save those trapped in this one , and defend them on the way out while following the teachings of Azar.

It was whispered that Trigon, though severely weakened, survived the onslaught on the ground above. Rumours, that would prove horrific if true, that he is returning to this realm as soon as he was at full strength to command the demons again.

As bleak as that was, many citizens of Azarath took that as a blessing. If they could find this weakened Trigon in this realm, they may be able to defeat him.

A lone survivor, with an improvised dagger of stone, hid behind broken buildings and from satanic patrols. This survivor had to adapt, to change her powers of conjuration and healing to that of violence - strictly against the teachings of Azar - but necessary in order to survive here.

She had already murdered a dozen demons, and was not battle ready. She barely limped away, just managing to survive the fortnights' war. She knew of basic healing, but ever since her kidnap a few months ago in the fall of Azarath, she did not have enough time to learn properly. As such, she mended injuries with the little she had on hand, she was only just able to defend herself in combat, but nothing substantial enough to keep her alive for much longer, and her physical restrictions were taking a toll on her. Without clean water, or food, since Trigons' disappearance, she had gone a few days without the basic necessities.

Hungry, dirty, thirsty and injured, she desperately sought a way to escape. She thought with Trigons' supposed defeat, the living here would return home, as the dead were simply transported to another dimension. She knew Trigons' hold on this realm was weakening.

Either way, this dimension had trapped the living survivors, but only just.

Walking briskly from building to boulder, she planned on murdering one last demon, and using their soul as a vessel - a power source - in order to transport herself somewhere safer - get help - and return for any others that she could find.

Her name didn't exist in this realm, neither did her morality. She understood the need for pacifism, but if she could not fight the demons, they would have killed countless innocents. She had not seen the child that she defended since their first encounter a week ago. Hope was as bleak as it was useless, but it was all she could hold.

Her hair was cropped in uneven clumps, short to the scalp. Her small body, beaten, bruised and bloodied, was honed as a gymnast - strictly taught to meditate and exert her physical stress through relaxing, almost martial art formed dances. She was able to quietly move from behind the rock, and jump on to the back of the lone demon patroller.

Even though it was exhausting, he used the last of her adrenaline to slice the dagger across his throat, using her weight on its' back to crash it to the ground. Blood pouring from its' neck, down it's chest found its' way on to her hands, adding difficulty to her grip.

Panting, she muttered a quick apologetic prayer for discarding Azars' teachings once more, and lowered her body to that of the limp carcass. Sitting next to him, she scanned the area to make sure there were no witnesses which may pursue her.

Within the chest of the demon, his soul - trapped by Trigon - was attempting to escape the body, and transport itself to Trigon, rather than move to the afterlife. It caused the chest to have a faint, white ghastly sheen, bouncing slowly as if it were truly stuck.

This girl, however, used her small telekinetic power on the emerging soul, dragging it out of the body as if it were a small, thin blanket caught on the breeze - then snared it into her hands. This motion allowed her to absorb the light and harness it for her own means.

For the second attempt this week, she allowed the soul into her own body, and used it's travelling instinct as a vehicle, while using her meager teleportation skills to simply change the destination. Even though this was a simple procedure, and the soul would be free to travel where it wished once the event was over, it was still draining for the young woman.

A bright light, harsh and sharp to the eyes, overcome the girl and demon in a spherical beam, she hoped this would send her to the one person who could save them, as she had hoped Raven has stopped Trigon once and for all. The light was a brisk contrast to the demonic realm of darkness, and caused her skin to sting and blister - the poison of Trigon within her blood fought the purity of a strong Azarath spell. The fearful one clenched her eyes, guilt and desperation causing her eyes to mist, only echoing the discomfort her body felt. She held on to the loving memory of a young, smiling purple haired girl, barely at her teenage years - praying that the spell would take her to where her savior was.

* * *

_A/N: Warning, following chapters will require the rating to be changed to **M, **due to gore, adult themes, and suggestions of rape/abuse. Trigger warnings as the story progresses. Not for minors. _

_That said, it always suprised me that A) Azarath fell, and barely anything was impacted. I wondered why thier destruction was so quiet. B) Trigon wasn't killed outright, and so he could resurface. This story will address both. This is not an OCxRaven, or even a good friend of Raven. Buuuut relationships should be interesting. Reviews/criticism = always welcome_


	2. From A to B

Bored. Nothing on TV, no crime alerts in Jump City so far, almost a whole week of peace, in fact. A few hours before bedtime and nothing for entertainment. Cyborg lounged on the sofa, slouching his body. Without any key focus, he absent mindedly clicked the remote in a monotone rhythm. With Robin sat in the kitchen area, discussing tomorrows' training events for tomorrow, Beast Boy desperately searching for a 'Wicked awesome - just you see' video game in his junk pile of a room, and Raven off being Raven, Cyborg was at a disadvantage for entertainment.

With a heavy sigh and a discarded remote, he stood and decided that until BB had finally found his game - which could take hours - Cyborg decided that he may as well rise up and find something to organise, fix or tinker with in his room. It's not like anything interesting was happening here, anyway. The guys would find him if he was needed. He had a good hour or two before it was time to consider going to bed anyway.

He began his walk, throwing a small acknowledgement nod at Robin and Starfire, being polite enough not to interrupt their conversation - as enamoured as Robin was talking to the girl, Cyborg knew Robin needed as many un-interrupted opportunities as possible to build up the courage to finally ask Starfire for something more.

Yep. Completely boring as nights go.

Raven was just about to leave her daily meditation routine. She was not as bored. Raven, on the other hand, couldn't shake the mild feeling of a deep coldness, settling at the back of her neck. At first, it felt like someone had placed a few drops of cold water on her skin, she could feel the sudden change in temperature - nothing too drastic, but definitely something to send her skin into a strange sensation. Uncomfortable.

It grew, though. Even though she placed her hand there, she could feel no watery substance. Clear skies above allowed her the knowledge that nothing was above her, nor was there any chance of rain. She would have left that thought there, but the cold feeling didn't waver - it actually grew. Raven left her levitation practice and stood, both hands on the back of her neck. Maybe my cloak caught on something wet before I came up here? She reasoned, but it was quickly disproved by her hands feeling a cold sensation directly above her shoulders, which formed the same discomfort as cold, frisk goosebumps. As if someone stood above her, slowly - and gently - tipping a beaker of silent water over her back.

Concerned, she centered her powers into her palms, determined to remove the substance. To her dismay, however, her powers indicated that the cold was not due to water on her skin, but a growing concept below her skin. Growing, it poured past her shoulder tops, slowly trailing over her collar-bones, as well as the beginning of her back.

Complete un-ease set in, feeling as if the 'water' was filling her skin with concern and despair. She couldn't remove the feeling - Raven yanked her cape free from her body, and used a powerful cleansing spell to remove all harmful substances from her body. A quick flash of light, and the feeling did not pass. It continued to grow - faster this time. Her tingling skin - an aftereffect of all her spells - did nothing but highlight the intensity of the cold 'water' running, trickling and spreading over her arms now. It felt like a cool shower was meeting her flesh - and in this late hour, it was more than uncomfortable, it was terrifying.

Shaky, panicked breaths came from the girl, while her hands clawed at her back - she needed to drag this thing off of herself. It was not welcome at all.

Raven gasped as the sensation changed to that of pelting ice, as if hailstones were directly clashing with her skin. She couldn't tolerate such a change in vicious temperature.

She focused her hands to a position a few feet away from her, creating an opening portal. Whatever this feeling was within her skin, it was going to go away - and into that portal. It hurt, the 'ice' stinging her fingers. It felt as if frostbite was setting in, which only made her angry.

A shimmering black and purple oval, a few feet in height and length appeared in front of Raven, while she dispersed the sensation into the empty space - willing it to leave her skin. Reluctantly - but assuredly- it slowly crept away from her back and neck, through her arms, fingers, and eventually left her body. She assumed it had left her for good.

A moment of uneven breathing, an erratic pulse, but otherwise silent, the portal dissolved. She was confused - she didn't know what caused such a creepy feeling, or why it grew. All she knew was that she moved it to somewhere else, whatever it was.

Looking around the rooftop, there was no one around. No one to witness Raven flailing and fretting over an invisible entity - just her and the dusk light, or soon, lack there-of. This gave her a chance to breathe, calm herself and locate where she threw her cloak. Only a step or two from her standing form, she easily bent down to retrieve it.

'Must be overworked, or tired. Just jumping at shadows or something' Raven quietly spoke in her mind, dusting off her favourite garb.

A piercing, thin vector of light brightly lit the rooftop, needle thin. Spanning the previous space occupied by the portal, Raven's eyes did not have time to adjust; hands were clamped over her face to make sure the spiteful intensity wouldn't sting her vision more than necessary. She managed to take a few blind steps back, for safe distance from the event.

Ringing filled her ears, nulling her sensitive feelings, and overpowering her rationality. She blindly fumbled, trying to find the source of the intrusive light, in order to overpower it. As soon as she shuffled close enough for a fingertip to brush one atom of the oval structure, a mass whooshed past her person, faster than she could perceive. It moved with such force that her cape billowed, as it was draped over one arm, threatening to fly off. A deep Doppler-sounding 'whoosh' indicated that the mass - whatever it was - had travelled with enough velocity to induce a strong, forceful impact.

Which just so happened to be a tilting axis, aiming directly for the floor near Raven.

The screeching of cracking concrete against something metal indicated to Raven that this mass is both reaching an unwelcoming landing, and it had enough force to damage the tower. With uneven footing, Ravens' next sensation was that of falling into the whole the mass had trailed behind - blazing a small tunnel directly downwards.

Wiring, slabs of concrete and crumbling parts of furniture followed them down, with Raven having barely enough time to summon a protective field around her. With no room for levitation, or safe flight due to falling debris, her only option was to allow herself to fall until she saw an opening. Luckily the deafening crash below her - two floors from the roof and into the Ops Room - had indicated that the mass had finally crashed into something too solid to break. Raven took this as an opportunity to slow her descends, creating a spherical field around her area while levitating slowly to the object of so much destruction.

She was unaware of what it was, or why it was travelling so fast, but it was unmoving now.

She didn't realise that her nerves were shaking, that she was genuinely taken off guard. It took Robins' yelling to bring her attention to others present in the room. She looked over them for any damage from this things' fall - and once assessing that all managed to avoid being crushed, she looked directly at the pile of rubble and its' potential hostility.

'What happened?!' Cyborg yelled, running to the sofa and to the Op table, where his remote was now broken circuitry. Debris now covered the small area, piling in the centre of the table.

Starfire floated, raising her hands within a green orb - poised for a dangerous intruder. Robin was close behind Cyborg, electing himself to touch the damage, looking up to see there was now a sizeable hole leading to the skies above. Silence resumed until Raven claimed that she didn't know, something just appeared and shot past her.

'I didn't even get a chance to see what it was' She claimed, expressing her worry to Robin. He nodded in approval, to show that he was ready for the others to start lifting the stone to see what caused such a commotion. Starfire relaxed her battle stance, and Raven began to envelope pieces in her dark matter control.

While Starfire and Cyborg were lifting equally large chunks of concrete away to find the culprit, Beast Boy ran over, shouting for answers to the large crash.

Upon his shock, he looked straight to Robin for answers.

'See if you can smell who this is, but be prepared' He warned the green lad.

A quick transformation to a well-trained bloodhound later, a scent was being analysed.

'Definitely a life source under there, Robin' Raven claimed, still occupied with removing the demolition. Cyborg added his assessment, automated results from his arm monitor:

'A pulse for sure, but not erratic or even stable. I think the things' not even conscious' to emphasise his point, a sequence of pulse readings were seen on his right arm, in plain view to Robin.

Starfire began to lift a few smaller pieces, in order to reach the edges of a particularly hefty wire.

'If it is hostile, it is in no condition to win this battle' she stated, looking with pity to the pile.

With the groups' additions to the conversation, Beast Boy resumed his usual form, at the opposite side of the pile to Robin. He looked troubled.

'Picking up heavy traces of blood, burned skin and yeah, a pulse. Hard to believe this things' still kicking with a fall like that' the green boy said to his leader, pointing at the centre of the table.

It took a few more moments, with aid from all the team members to remove enough wire, concrete and material to find what villain, or object, collided with their home.

'It just shot past me, I don't know who - or what - it is.' Raven fretted to the others, removing smaller mass and larger at the same time with the help of her focus.

But there it was, making all 5 titans pause.

A frail, ghastly white face. Eyes closed. Red dotting along her frame from the landing. A small, underfed body with scrapes and bruises. A thin hand, caught under stone.

The leader felt a sense of dread. This wasn't an intruder, this was a wounded person. A person who was just crushed from two stories of building. His heart skipped a beat at the thought of her form losing her heartbeat - she was not responsible for this attack on the tower, she was used as a crash landing.

'Get her out of there - NOW' He ordered, grasping away at every rock he could get his hands on, with his friends working willingly into a faster mode, Raven lifting multiple objects away from her, Cyborg analysing more vitals on his cybernetics, Beast Boy using his humanoid form to push away the tangles of circuits from her body, and Starfire trying to gently pull the girl away from her prison.

'She is definitely not an intruder if she's had this much damage done to herself, right?'

'Yeah, BB, let's just see what happened to her' Cyborg assured him.

As soon as she had leverage, Robin aided, by gently grasping her ankles for a better grip to mover her to the floor. She looked far worse without the stone obstructing each injury. Beast Boy supervised, gently placing her head in a sideways 'recovery' position, while Raven lowered her levitation towards the group.

A quick scan from Cyborgs' arm told of immediate threats to the person.

'Internal bleeding. Right Rib broken - right arm broken. Definitely from the fall. Possible concussion, monitor her breathing.' He ordered, looking directly at Robin.

Aside from that, the damage was clear. Bruises scattered her arms, torso and legs, indicating of blunt force trauma, scrapes and cuts were not just limited to her face, the also followed the dotting of blood along her skin; knees, arms, neck, hands, stomach, below her eyes, jaw.

Shallow breathing was barely heard, while Raven summoned a direct portal to the Medical rooms a few floors below, big enough for all her team-mates to walk through. Stepping on the ground, Raven still didn't recognise the mass as anything other than a girl who looked- well, exactly as messed up as someone who just crashed into a tower. Lifted by Robin, Starfire and Beast Boy in as stable a position as possible; they walked through the shortcutting portal, placing her on the medical bed.

Cyborg rushed to attach her to vitals.

Still, she didn't move, didn't make any noise apart from weak breathing. Like a china doll, her skin was pale and losing blood fast. She was unarmed, in tattered fabric and clearly young. Robin thought of the worst case scenario - that she was a civilian, used as a meat bag by a villain to scare the titans - or that she was in an accident and couldn't stop her descent. Even still, it was clear that this girl was not the attacker.

'Cyborg, once you're done, check the towers' defences. We need to find out what caused her to have such as strong impact.' Robin did not look away from the girl, trying to figure out what happened. Cyborg nodded, running out of the room. He understood just as gravely as Robin did that someone probably used this person. Meaning someone with more force is probably nearby.

Raven took this opportunity to explain how this involved no one else.

'She just shot out of a portal. No one else was there, no one followed through after.' She looked Robin straight, confidently stating her opinion that the tower was safe.


	3. Taking it personally

_**Beep. Then another moment of silence. Beep. **_

This pattern continued for about half an hour, leaving the team enough time to scout the rooftop, for Cyborg to initiate a thorough scan of all tower defence mechanisms. He was looking for ways to determine how to correctly seal the gaping whole from the rooftop.

_**Beep.**_

Raven sat there in the medical room, using her communicator to speak to Robin.

"From what I know, these portals can only be summoned. And if it wasn't by me-" Raven examined the girls' condition.

"-then she must have been sent from her side" Robin finished.

The purple haired girl nodded, knowing Robin would understand that she understood, even if he couldn't see her acknowledgement. Raven, curious, placed the communicator on the beds' side table, and took a step back.

Raising her left hand above the girls' stomach, Raven closed her eyes. A deep breath, followed by focus occurred next.

She used empathic healing, to see if there was anything which could be done in the meantime. Even though she was stable, the sooner she woke and gave answers, the better. Raven had no idea who this person was, what she was doing here, how - or even why - she shot through that portal as she did.

Chunks of red matted scrapes seemed to knit themselves back to the girls' body. Swelling on her joints even seemed to dim, while bruises began to fade. _'Good' _Raven thought_. 'Progress is slow, but... still happening.'_

As this worked well so far, Raven decided to mend issues which were more than skin deep. The sorcerer placed her palms on either side of the unconscious girls shoulders, in an attempt to establish a stronger connection. As Raven pushed her dark energy past her own body, and into the skin of her subject, she was met by a sweltering wall. Recoiling, Raven realised that some form of hex was within this girls' structure, stopping Raven from going any further with healing. Not without it hurting her, at least.

This definitely gained Raven's interest into this persons' character.

Summoning a focused orb in each palm, she shot them into the girl. If the girl was the subject of the hex, then it would not harm her. But, if she was the creator of the hex, then her body would resist such an attack - Raven's orb would then strip down her walls of magi - breaking her mental fortitude and feel like a dagger to the skin.

With a push of Ravens' palms, the test began.

But the results indicated that the hex could not be removed by the girl herself, making her an unfortunate victim of another's' spell. No form of self-defence, she just lay there, as if nothing happened.

A thought of bringing this to Robins' attention crossed her mind, but Raven had not truly encountered much first-hand experience with dark magic outside of her own research - and the opportunity was even scarcer when the variable of being around her team mates was taken away. This meant that Raven may have a valuable lesson, as well as experience actually helping a stranger just to be nice - rather than friendly compassion.

She decided. Healing this girl, getting answers and doing something nice to show her team that she is a strong, kind and compassionate changed woman is definitely the right approach. Besides, the communicator was just there. Should anything go wrong, she could call for backup.

With that, Raven took a short walk to the end of the bed, facing her patient.

Eyes wide, the titan summoned a shroud of darkness, similar to that of a sheen-blanket, to gently fall over the girls' sleeping form. Within the first moment of contact, the hex resisted leaving its' host. Raven noticed pale markings on the side of the girls' face shimmering, while lights flickered - like far off city buildings - upon her skin under the shroud. This confirmed that something was within the girls' body. There was only one mantra Raven knew which confronted most barriers to what she wanted.

"Azarath" Raven spoke gently, relaxing her guard. "..metrion" Her eyes began to glow, her tell-tale sign that her spell charged up.

"..zinthos" She whispered, aiming to be as gentle as possible with her vulnerable person.

With that, a black shadow over-rided the hex as it were a password-lock, and the entity entered the girls mind.

"W-what ar-?!"The now fully conscious girl yelled, standing before Raven in a dimension of cream and white. She was clearly agitated, and Raven could see her for what she fully was. In this realm, she was in her natural state. No injuries, no hexes or restrictions, just her. Raven must have startled her.

The titan gently raised her hands in a submissive stance, trying to smile as compassionately as she could. Out of practice, or just plain awkward when it came to these sitations, Raven didn't feel as if she made much of an effect.

"Easy - I'm trying to help." As sincerely as she could try, it seemed that Raven was genuinely concerned.

The girl, easily an inch or two shorter than Raven, stood proudly, and defiantly as if this were an invasion of privacy, but seemed to realise Raven was not a threat - currently. Her hair was light, short and curly. Far neater than her current 'real-world' state. She wore a young complexion, but easily Ravens' age due to her slight figure. She wore a short sleeve white robe, with a yellow bind around the middle. There was no hood, but Raven recognised this uniform as much as her own. The signature gem on her waistband gave her natural location away, and Raven would know that from anywhere.

She was from Azarath.

"What happened? You just shot of out no-where." Raven inquired, lowering her hands and taking a cautionary step forward.

The girl took this as a definitive that there was no hostility from this purple hooded girl. She didn't return the conversation, however.

"I'm..suprised a girl your age hasn't mastered teleportation yet." Raven wrung her hands, trying to build a familiar bond. "You know, considering..."

_'Considering we're both from the same home, with the same training.' _

The girl spoke, looking Raven dead in the eye, as if this sentence held strong meaning. If there was, Raven completely missed the 'obvious' catch in her hinting.

In her own mind, she could read Raven's questioning mind as if it were written in front of her.

_'We've been... astray for a while. I can't expect you to remember me.'_

She shyly admitted, looking genuinely bashful. Such a strong contrast to the ready-for-battle girl just moments before. Raven said nothing, just giving the girl her full attention, ready for her to explain.

_'I was there with you, long before you left us. We were told to always be extra kind to you, as you needed more effort to mask your... well..._'The blonde began, not wanting to insult her guest.

"I get it. It was hard as kids to control how we felt. Thanks for your consideration and patience." Raven said, knowing how her youth held much destruction by her own lack of control, and difficulty to adapt to the peaceful ways of life. She did remember how all the other children in her teachings were very charitable, doting and patient, even when she screwed up.

Azar, like a mother, urged them all to get along, and how Raven tried to be nice back.

In the end, though, Raven could never hold a close friend. She always accidentally burned them, or hurt them deeply. She began to distance herself from the other children, despite their pleads for companionship, and sharing their treats with her.

This must have been one of her…friends.

_'I understand if you've forgotten me. But we haven't forgotten you - we all knew of Raven'_

She smiled endearingly, as if they truly were close companions. This girl knew of Raven, but Raven didn't even remember her name.

"You all... still accept me? Even when I left?" Raven was guilt-ridden ever since her 14th birthday, when she fled to Earth and left her family behind.

_'Of course! You were our friend, our sister in the academy. When you left, it broke our hearts'_ She reached out, placing her hand on Ravens' shoulder. Raven could feel a rush of solidarity, compassion and comfort - it felt of home. This girl truly was one of Azarath. But it was not enough for Raven to remember her.

"I... I haven't been in contact with other students since.." Raven couldn't even finish. How she left them, even without realising Azaraths' destruction, she should have visited.

She nodded, understanding Raven so fully, accepting her without question. She was taught to be considerate of Raven, as she is not as adept as the others at controlling her emotions. Raven - the one who would bring the Destroyer of Worlds to their home. The girl who was plagued by 'Demon' in her flesh. Raven, the one who would never play.

But she knew Raven, and Raven was her friend. Her sister in the pursuit of peace, even if they were not blood-related, and the same Raven who pushed others away to protect them.

She knew her name wasn't remembered here, so she gave Raven a vision instead, her strongest memory of their companionship.


	4. Overhead lights

"Robin - get down here" The leader didn't have to be told twice by his purple haired friend before he took his communicator in hand and made his way swiftly to the room.

"Any progress?" He asked, just wanting answers. His team has had a heavy week, and they deserved rest. Starfire floated just above him, matching his speed, listening in to the conversation.

"Yes, I have a few answers, but you need to see this" She returned, giving Robin and Starfire the chance to share a confused look between themselves. This only sped their momentum, dashing from the rooftop and towards the lift.

Once inside, Robin selected the floor for the infirmary, 7 floors below his current position.

With Cyborg at the base of the tower, and Beast Boy in the form of a small bird, inspecting for any long term damage, Starfire thought it was a good opportunity as any to check on Robin personally. No outside influences, and she had a good minute before the lift journey was over. Ever since his obsession with Slade, she kept a close eye on his mental state and emotional wellbeing. She was concerned that a sudden crash into the tower would render Robins' leadership and vigilance into the Towers' safety into jeopardy.

"Robin, I-"

"It's alright, Star." He looked over to her standing person. "I don't think any of us could see this coming. Raven was on the roof, she said even she couldn't raise an alert in time. "Robin knew Starfire was trying to relieve the burden of stress and team wellbeing on his mind, but from what Robin assessed, the damage was dealt, and there were no more threats so far. As long as his team was uninjured, he was more than happy to investigate and move on.

Even though Starfire nodded, she still remained wary. She knew Robin well enough to know that he placed a strong 'leader mask' upon himself. He would rarely admit worry or fear to anyone, electing himself to solve an issue as quickly as he could, at the expense of his own wellbeing at times. She, as always, decided he cannot do that for this instance. She smiled to let him know that she took his assessment on board, but she didn't voice her opinion further. He knew what she was going to say before she even finished her sentence, after all.

Looking away, she thought of ways to bring up avoiding obsession with mission solving without offending him, but a gentle hand on her wrist pulled her back to reality.

"I really appreciate you looking out for me, though." Robin was letting his guard down around this girl more and more lately, but he didn't know how to quite express his affection without jeopardising her within missions. For now, he settled to cherish her company and to make her feel valued. A relationship was far too risky at the moment, so he couldn't let himself indulge. She knew better, though, and gave him the time to find his own answers without interruption.

With his hand removed from her wrist, her smile faded, and the two looked up at the floor indicator in comfortable silence.

"What are we dealing with?" Robin announced, before he even managed to fully open the door.

Raven didn't turn around; she stood at the bottom of the bed, as she had done for the last 40 minutes. She heard the elevator reach their floor and feel the presence of the two titans before they even entered the room.

"Something... non-aggressive" She began, not knowing exactly where to start. Robin looked at her, as if she were about to continue, while Starfire gave a questioning stare. Considering the damage, it would be hard to believe that no hostilities were meant.

"She is from my home dimension, Azarath. She didn't mean to hurt us, or even land this way. I don't think she knows where she is." Raven walked over to the girls' side, drawing her power over the girl's ribcage to begin a faster session of mending.

"And you're sure she wants no trouble?" He asked, crossing his arms. In this state, the patient wasn't going anywhere or able to cause problems. He was hoping that while Raven was alone, she'd be able to assess the persons psyche, to understand the persons' power draw, using her own spiritual knowledge.

"I'm certain. I tried entering her mind with minor resistance." Robin cocked an eye-brow at that. 'Minor' is still a barrier.

Raven looked straight at him, not seeing any reason to lie, or hide the truth.

"She was definitely under some kind of spell preventing the use of her own healing factor powers. My healing did little below her skin." Her purple cloak was now draped over her shoulders, with her hood down. Robin could see that Raven was oddly at peace for someone whose home was attacked.

Starfire took this knowledge in stride, feeling proud of Raven.

"You defeated this spell, and were stronger than the caster. Do you know who began this trouble?" She inquired, wanting to know the mastermind behind such an evil act. To block ones' powers was a formidable foe, and must be investigated. Robin nodded along.

"I felt burning, meaning it was a malicious force. Possibly demonic." Raven claimed, waving away her hand from the girls' ribs, and moving it to her shoulder.

"The fall of Trigon stopped all demon influences in this dimension though, right?" Robin stated, concerned why this enemy force has resurfaced.

Raven gave a curt nod, before continuing that she didn't believe this girl was of this realm, but instead a traveller under the influence in another.

"To be certain, we'd have to wake her. I don't feel ready to enter her mind again though." She looked away, uncomfortable. The other two titans were concerned.

"Did she say, or do, anything strange?" Robin asked outright. He didn't like Raven facing an unknown on her own, but she was the only one with such a skill to figure out who this person is.

But she didn't know how to explain. Raven didn't get enough answers herself, to be honest. After she shared her last memory together, Raven's mind left by its' own accord - as if it were giving the girl some privacy and space. She didn't even realise that she came back to the present until she opened her eyes again after a minute of silence began to worry her.

All Raven knew was that this girl was from her home city, was born there like her, and was a true daughter of the temple. She wasn't a human brought to the city like Ravens' mother, Arella; this girl was similar to Raven. She was taught the same pacifistic rules, which makes it even more horrific to see her in such a damaged state. She didn't give her name, and the memory was just simple. No indicators to who she was, or anything relevant. If anything, she recognised Raven, and held no hostilities.

"She..knew me." Raven chimed, speaking softly and with guilt. For the life of her, this girl left no impression in Ravens' mind. A stranger, but a friendly one.

"And do you know her?" Starfire asked, beginning to hover once the atmosphere returned to that of a relaxed home.

Raven shook her head in disagreement. With a frown, she removed her healing hands, having repaired all she could. The girls' vitals were strong and stable. At worst, she'll have a few fractures and bruising, possibly a minor concussion, but nothing life threatening.

"But I felt Azarath within her. She's one of ours." She finished, walking towards Robin and Starfire, waiting on orders. Robin thought the situation through. If this girl was truly a possible ally, and of the same kin as Raven, then she would work with them to explain exactly why she crashed into thier tower.

Robin had assigned shifts to watch over this girl. If she is truly like Raven, then she might show signs of astral projection or dark energy usage. It was quicker than establishing a video link and synching it up to each persons' communicator. It gave 4 titans a better shot at resuming repairs and daily duties at a time.

Cyborg was needed as leader of the repairs for the 2 floors of damage, while Starfire was tidying the Ops main room. Robin was switching between the two, offering help where he could, and Raven was helping raise new supports. The whole itself was easily 20 feet in a rough circumference, making it sizeable task to repair.

Beast Boy, unable to aid with much at this stage, waited in the medical room. In 20 minutes, he would rotate and help Cyborg with welding the new structure together, but no animal form would do anything other than get in the way at this moment in time.

Tired as he was, with it approaching ten in the evening, he was curious about this short girl. He sat in a metal fold chair at the end of the bed, near a small monitor showing her results and vitals. Stable, and unchanging.

Looking her over, she did seem better. Not as dirty as before. Her pink colour returned to her cheeks, but she still seemed quite pale. Most of the blood on top of her skin was dissolved when Raven did her work, even her limbs - specifically her right arm -looked controlled, with no unnatural bending. Her scrapes were reduced too, all burns were healed, and her ribcage looked as if it were far more comfortable, as she was induced in deep breathing. With her palms facing up, he could see how the innards of her elbows have recovered from their burns, too.

He noticed strong scarring though, from the left bone of her hip to underneath her navel in 4 inches of length. Taking a step closer for a layman's' assessment, he saw how her right wrist was marred with one welt of a scar, 3 inches long. It trailed from the centre of the wrist towards the inner of the elbow. It looked deep, but a few months old. Painful - he winced as he thought of all the creative injuries she may have endured before this.

Aside from her injuries, Beast Boy was interested in who she was. Her hair was short, uneven, as if it were cut with something jagged. Curly and a very light colour, though. Not quite white, but a very pale blonde. It made her complexion look sickly. Her face was slightly rounded, making her seem rather young, especially as she slept. She looked quite small, even more so than Raven. She didn't seem to be that much younger than him, though.

She looked soft, like a nice person. Maybe it's because she looked vulnerable while she was in this condition, but she really didn't seem the malicious sort. Almost civilian.

Beep...Beep.. .Beep

Catching his attention, he turned to the monitor, and saw her heart race was quickening. Looking straight at her face, there was no change in her expression, so he knew she wasn't in discomfort. He worried she was waking.

Standing, he walked over to her, seeing how the applicator on her finger had not moved - her oxygen levels in her blood were still being measured efficiently. She didn't seem to have knocked anything to cause her body to have a change in stasis.

Even her polysomnogram was hooked up correctly, with no risk of tugging on her body. All it was doing was mirroring the erratic pulse the monitor had shown.

But gazing at her face again, he understood the cause of the change of resting state.

Her eyes, even though they were closed, were glowing slightly under the lids. The same mismatched transparency of a stained glass window. Light gently shone out out tiny fragments in a smooth off-white shade. Beast Boy didn't know what this fully meant, but he was familiar with light powers enough to know that if this sort of thing is happening, somethings' about to go down.

Hand on his communicator; ready to call for backup, he stared, waiting.

After a moment, the energy in her sleeping eyes slowly faded away, moving at a fast pace past her cheeks, over her neck in two separate roads. One shot down the left shoulder, one shot down the right. At the same speed, the light gained intensity, past her elbows and into her hands. It set into the skin, and nested in each palm, the size of a golf ball. Like a yellow and white light bulb.

Holding his breath, he took a step back, wondering if this was a dangerous sign. Even so, he opted for a defensive stance regardless. Ready to form into a tiger, communicator swiftly in hand, he waited for a sign.

But she moved gently. She took her left hand and brought it slowly above her sternum, pressing her hand into her skin. The light seemed contagious, and separated into tiny shards, attaching themselves to each injury, shooting past each other on the highway of her skin, abruptly stopping at each blemish. As soon as Beast Boy realised that each light fragment was dimming the bruising on her flesh, he relaxed his pose. She was trying to fix herself.

He chose to notify Robin, as she would definitely be in a state ready for questioning soon.

A sharp intake of breath, as if she was hit, brought his notice away from Robins' reply, looking how her eyes snapped open, staring with shock at the ceiling. Her arms tensed, legs going rigid and unbending. Her back arched, as if he struggled to breathe, head tilted back slightly. This brought Beast Boy walking briskly over, placing his hands on her shoulders in an attempt to calm her. It would not be hard to restrain her if she went into shock.

She didn't resist, but she also didn't calm down. Her breathing remained laboured, as if she was in pain, and the light fragments added a strange pigment to her skin, as if someone randomly painted small areas of her skin with gold flecked paint. She stared at the green person above her with confusion.

She understood that he wasn't being aggressive, but it was unfamiliar enough to scare her a little. It took a few moments for her vision to become less blurry, and for her to distinguish his features. Her head had a dull ache, as if it were struck. She was underneath a strip of ceiling lights, in a tidy neat bed with electrical surroundings around her. It was a worrying thought, but she guessed she was in a hospital of some sort. With a small stretch of her limbs, she felt that there were no long term issues, and nothing she couldn't fix herself. She heard the one thing which confirmed that it was going to get better, after months stuck in that plane of hell. The one thing she dreamed of hearing night after night.

"It's okay - you're safe now"

It sounded like heaven, like someone had pulled her from the depths of the inferno and delivered her grace. All that fighting and praying for salvation, she couldn't help but smile. She didn't know what was happening, but she knew she was far from Trigons' realm - and that was a victory. This lad must be a Valkyrie of some sort, pulling her into this realm. She was eternally grateful that she was somewhere safe in the physical world; she never thought she'd see the day.

Beast Boy felt relieved that she wasn't in pain, she was just waking up. The other titans were on their way, but the room felt peaceful - tranquil and calm. He liked the feeling, and took a step back, letting go of her shoulders.

He knew she was assessing the room, but thought against touching her again. As her lighted skin faded back to its' original shade, she looked around. Her body remained still, but her eyes were fully alert now. She couldn't stop smiling.

She must be glad to have woken up at all, he thought. But with her little light show, Beast Boy knew she wasn't human, and therefore, may not be as breakable. He made a note to ask her why she was so pleased.

With a whoosh of the doors, Robin and Raven strided in, making short work of the distance between them. The girls' smile disappeared as soon as the two were within sight range, however.

Beast Boy stood, reporting on how she had just woken.

"Guys, I think she could'a patch-" He wanted to explain how she was not human, and how she could have healed herself given enough time, but Raven beat him to it.

"We know, she's like me" Raven stated, staring at the girl in the bed. In return, the girl locked eyes, hands gently placed in her lap, and Robin raised her bed to accommodate a sitting position. She was quite pale, looking closer to a still china doll.

She didn't speak.

"How are you feeling?" Robin asked, hoping this girl would be friendlier in her encounter than her arrival.

She snapped her head at Robins' voice, as if she didn't see him before. She blinked, and then took a quiet breath in.

"I-I think I'm okay" She quietly spoke, not expecting kindness. She decided she would not anger the people in front of her by passing on her regards. Clearing her throat by a few little forced coughs, her hand politely covering, she spoke with more confidence, but also with a deadpan expression and a mono-tone voice.

"Thank you for putting me here. It is most suitable for my condition."

The three seemed to expect a little more emotion, taken aback by her casual tone. Beast Boy was the first to comment.

"Wow, no kidding. Just like you, Raven" He joked, but not even smiling this time. She ignored is quip, however.

"Can you stand?" Raven asked, taking a measured step forward. She was met by the girls' efforts: She used both palms to distribute her weight into pulling her torso up. She swung her legs of the bed with confident prowess, and almost launched herself from her previous position.

She stood before Raven, making it easy for the others to asses her figure. The worst of the injuries were indeed cleared. Robin was cautious, but understood that Raven was best for leading this questioning at the moment. Beast Boy crossed his arms, and leaned on the frame for the end of the bed.

"It is a relief to see you unharmed, Raven. It has been a long time" She spoke, with no emotion, no indication to her intentions.

"You were one of the girls in my class, but I don't know your name." Raven stated, trying a calm conversation to understand this person better. The girl remained her rigid pose, but her eyes drifted to the floor - staring, as if it were the most interesting thing.

"You kept yourself far from us; you stopped playing with us too." She said, absent of all kindness she held in Ravens' visit to this girls' mind.

"It was so that I-"

"I know. You did what you thought was best for our safety. Thank you." She returned to staring at Raven.

Beast Boy was a little un-nerved. "Why is she talking like that?" He mumbled to Robin, hoping to not be heard by the girls.

She caught it, however, not wavering from her stare of Raven.

"We have no wish to upset Raven; we choose to devoid our emotions around her for her comfort" Hearing it from the girls' mouth only filled Raven with guilt. These are the people she ran from, the people she brought destruction to. They treated her as family every step of the way, even now.

"It's okay, it's not necessary anymore." Raven spoke, trying to sound as sincere and coercing as possible, earning a raised eyebrow from the girl.

"I have no pull from the demonic plane anymore, I hold less liability with my emotions now" Robin nodded to affirm Ravens' statement, giving the girl a chance to re-assess her approach.

She nodded in understanding, closing her eyes. A moment of silence passed before she sighed and reopened them. No one interrupted. Beast Boy understood that she stopped smiling so Raven would not be overloaded with emotion - which, knowing how much emotional noise Raven had put up with in the tower for so much time before, the girls' kindness was unnecessary.

"I am glad you have formed a strong hold" She simply stated, giving a slight smile of relief and pride.

Raven pulled her close for a hug. If she had to claim of a family she grew up with, these people were it. Her people of Azarath, who loved and supported her every step of the way. Her mother made sure she knew of that. The girl did not resist, but she tensed, as if she was unprepared for this. It was definitely a shock on her end. Raven stopped speaking to her in the end, let alone hug her back home.

After a few seconds, Raven took a step back, and smiled brightly at her reunion with the girl who fetched Raven her favourite books from the library. When Raven was too scared to leave her study, this girl - this random stranger - offered to pick them up for her.

"Please, can you tell us your name?" Robin spoke, gesturing one hand out for a greeting handshake. Beast Boy unfolded his arms, standing straight and at full attention. Raven stood there, offering an encouraging smile.

She felt calm, and if Raven was here - the one who was prophesized to break and rebuild Azarath - telling her it was okay, then she would co-operate. She had found Raven; now she can convince her to help save the others, help save their people who are still trapped in that hell.


	5. Coming clean

_It seemed never ending. Hours later, and nothing had changed. She looked down from her hiding spot, a three story stone apartment - decayed from years of misuse. Now it looked closer to a brownish clay monument from far history. In reality, it was a modern realm, destroyed by Trigon only a month ago. _

_The skies were filled with a blaze of orange flames, grey plumes of toxic smoke, and pungent smells of rotting death. _

_There, in the middle of the street, a woman lay defenceless. Two dark souls stood over her, grinning at their superiority. One held a thin stick, the other a sharp dagger. They were a little taller than 6 feet, black and ghastly in appearance, they took no solid form, just blurred in the template of a beast. Hulking claws for fingers, sharp edges prodding where the spine should be, no eyes - just a series of tiny, pointy teeth in a wide, stretching mouth. It looked as if Trigon himself ripped the creatures cheeks, so the smile would stretch from ear to ear. Completely unnatural._

_It kept whipping her back. The woman screamed - not the type created from fear; deep within her arching stomach. The sound which makes blood curdle, gives the atmosphere an edge, and convinces your instincts to flinch. Every few seconds, another hit, with a synchronised screech - like a twisted melody. Recoiling, the blonde placed her head in her hands, kneeling, trying to block it out. It never worked, though, unable to steer her mind away from the woman below, being beaten to death. She began to rock on the balls of her feet, desperately searching for an escape. She didn't even realise her breathing was laboured and panting until she became light headed from hyperventilation. _

_Her nails dug into the flesh on the side of her eyes, clinging to anything she could to add a new sensation - anything to take her mind off of the woman. The woman never grew quieter, never took a break from her noise, just kept piercing the thick silence with her whipping punishment, and her yells of torment. It was terrifying and maddening. _

_She was unable to take it anymore, the sound of suffering, so she looked up - unaware of her trembling hands. Working on adrenaline and fear alone, she threw herself from the third floor - not even attempting to use her damaged powers to crash her fall - and made short work of the distance between the two demons. _

_Running, with fast breaths and a small panicked scream, she supported her hands behind the jawline of the first demon, hoisted her weight, and jumped onto its' back. With a quick turn of her hands, the creatures' neck became useless, and the crunching snap gave the other demon pause. The first one slumped to the ground, while she fell with it. Landing without grace, she scrambled to her feet, grasping for his weapon. _

_Now that the whipping had stopped, the woman took her chance and began to crawl away with haste, falling over her own limbs in her attempt for escape. _

_The second dark soul grimaced at the interruption. They were enjoying their time in this realm, and it was a nuisance to be put on hold. Taking an aggressive pose, its' arms stretched behind its' body, while its' teeth did naught to cover the impact of its' horrific screech. _

_With the stick in hand, she ran forward - using it instead as a pole vault. As the demon expected her to strike, she ducked - giving the dark soul a chance to reconsider its' attacking direction. Falling for the trap, it launched its' form towards the girl, claws raised to catch on her body. Keeping her body haunched low, she tilted her pole in the direction of its head, but keeping it steady. _

_The dark demon was unaware of its' own foolish thinking, throwing its' body with so much force at the girl left him vulnerable to piercing, and the pole slid straight through its' open mouth. With a gurgle, ooze fled from the wound, and over the stick. The dagger fell from its' claws, clinking on the stone ground. Its hulking mass overpowered her, however, and as it became dead weight, it forced her form to fall to the ground with it. _

_She remembered stuck there, trapped between this grungy body with oil and ooze overflowing its pores and onto her skin, pooling over her arms and shoulders and onto the ground below to form a puddle. She remembered thrashing her head, shifting her arms to try and move it, but she couldn't. Her eyes stung with furious tears, working so hard to stop the screaming and now she was stuck like prey. Trying not to make any more noise than necessary, she thought of a way to get this thing off of herself. _

"Elia?" Her head darted to the source of the interruption, seeing a cloaked figure. Standing with a steamy mug in each hand was Raven, looking near to neutral, but showing signs of concern.

Elia was still sat in the medical bed; at least, she was to be until the results of each test pleased Robin. Raven invited herself to sit at the end of it.

"I felt something.. cold. Are you alright?" Raven asked her, handing her the warm beverage. Elia looked down, as if she were studying the substance. She hasn't devoured anything since her escape, and she didn't think herself hungry or thirsty. Seeing something warm, clean and sweet-smelling convinced her body that she was far from satisfactory sustenance, however. Elia held the drink with both hands and downed it, despite its' high temperature.

Raven watched with surprise at the girl gulping down a warm mug of tea, seeming to pay no mind to the scorching it would have on her tongue. The purple haired one said nothing, having no understanding how long it had been since she had something to eat or drink - but it was definitely worth mentioning to Robin. Come to think of it, Raven had a better look at her guest. Her collar bones were more than defined, showing clear malnutrition, while her eyes seem sunken, skin hollowing slightly where her cheeks should be full. Raven made a note for Starfire to feed this girl, as the Tamaranian ensured no hunger would be felt as a loving grandmother would - force overfeeding if necessary.

After a few seconds of noticeable gulping and slurps, Elia pulled the cup away, resting it in her lap with one hand, and wiping her mouth with the other. She looked at Raven with gratitude, and a relief-filled smile.

After a moment of comfortable silence, the girl focused her eyesight on something a few inches to the left of Raven, and slightly lower. She was pre-occupied with something in her mind. Her smile left, replaced with a furrowed set of brows and a frown.

"I was just remembering" She admitted, quietly as if she spoke something wrong or sinful. "It's difficult to avoid thinking of it.."

Raven opened her aura to the room, reading this person. She felt more than just cold. She felt indecisiveness, fear and heavy guilt. It made the room thick, and burdenous - like an unpleasant heat wave after a rainstorm. It was chaotic.

Elia remained there, until Raven thought to drag her away from her grief. Scooting closer on the bed to her, Raven spoke.

"I understand it was devastating"

Elia looked at her with sorrow. For Raven to understand the plight her people were suffering, Elia had to do more than just remember, she had to show Raven in a full experience. It would will Elia with dread to re-visit such a place, but she needed to. No words would be able to express the dire situation they were in. She was not strong enough to convey it yet, though, so she must try to explain in the meantime.

Taking a breath, she steadied herself to ask Raven for her aid. A hundred times over Elia imagined this meeting, confidently ordering help, and receiving immediate results. Now, she just looked at Raven and the fear of returning to such a place petrified her. Was she truly selfish enough to enjoy the moment of safety while so many innocents were trapped there?

She thought she could be strong, and be the hero. To find Raven, the strongest spell caster she knew, and fix everything. Elia just felt heartbroken, emotional and vulnerable.

By Azar, she should be so ashamed. She knew better than to let her feelings destroy her so completely.

Shutting off her emotional wave, she began to conceal it. Focusing instead on the insulated heat the mug still contained in her hands, Elia instead tried to convey neutrality to Raven. Tried to be strong. Even if it was to just make Raven a little more comfortable, just like she was always taught. A little good would begin to redeem her.

"Raven, our people.." Her voice broke, however, heavy with the threat of tears. Clearing her throat, she continued.

"They are in danger. Trigon, he-"

Raven cut her off, trying to calm the girl. "It's okay, he tried to fulfil his prophecy, but we stopped it from reaching its' end." She reached out to rest her hand on Elia's arm, trying to establish a connection of comfort, but it fell on deaf ears.

"No, there's something horrifically wrong. It's like something from a scary novel" Elia stared directly at Raven, trying to express how grave the situation was. She began to explain how countless souls of Azarath were held by an unbeatable force in Trigons' realm, and their suffering fuels his power.

Raven began by listening politely, but hearing the extent of the suffering people like Elia had to endure put Raven on edge. While they had been battling Trigon, and trying to catch Slade, Elia and countless others were at the merciless clutches of demons - all of which was to fuel his power over Raven.

It sickened her, riddled her with guilt to hear how some were drained of their powers so fully their bodies just gave out from the shock - their bodies used as feasting material for the hordes. Some were forcefully adapted, having extensions grafted onto their bodies without consent in brutal and painful methods.

Raven cringed, all those people she knew only 2 years before were now slowly dying in painful ways for her fathers' goals and enjoyment. She knew Elia wouldn't be able to regale all the months of fear in just one night, but the story of the shrieking woman and how it led Elia to abandon her pacifistic ways gave Ravens' guts an icy plunge. It felt unnatural to push a person so viciously, but her father managed it.

"You managed to escape, though" Raven contemplated, listening without judgement, or scepticism. She would feel if one of her own people were trying to be deceitful, which only chilled Ravens' core even more so.

"Only because he was weakened, and you had a strong influence on his demise. By focusing on you, I guess your powers' residue on the realm - and on his own power - I connected enough to gain passage here. "It wasn't enough to lift Elia's spirits, even if Raven tried to get her to see the brighter side to this ordeal.

Raven looked at her. She seemed so tired; her eye colour was dulled to a near grey, with only flecks of lighter green. It was upsetting to see her own citizen so drained and powerless. More so, it was furiating and filled Raven with rage. She should be protecting people like Elia, not leaving them to suffer at the hands of her own father while she enjoyed her time with the Titans.

It explained why she was here, confirmed she was not a threat, and would answer why Azarath was not in a stable condition. When Trigon was defeated, many souls were redeemed and returned to their forms in Azarath - they began to rebuild. There were many missing, however. Raven thought some souls took longer to find their way home, but to hear how Trigon had prevented them from even leaving the realm was diabolical. She supressed her rage, thinking that she had finished the whole debacle with her father. For her to only taste a future, and for him to ruin it was unfair. For her people to suffer so much was unfair. She could help herself but feel vengeful hatred to his being.

She sat with Elia a while longer, and made sure that she would bring this up to Robin. This issue had to be addressed.

Outside the door, however, Robin leaned against the wall, already aware of the situation. He felt deep pity for the girl, but also an obsessive need to eradicate this villain so he could never harm innocents again. Ever since his abuse to Raven, Robin could never tolerate Trigon - and if his evil is still in existence, he must end it. As far as things went this evening, he was calmed by Ravens' ability to take a strong handle on this situation, questioning this girl successfully and gently. Robin was proud of seeing such a leader in Raven, knowing that she would need this compassionate drive for this obstacle ahead.


	6. Feeling better

_**A/N: Red alert, I have lost ALL my notes for this story, and we haven't even met the main villain yet. I know, backups and memory sticks and copies to avoid this, blah blah. I suck. **_

_**I'm urging viewers to review after every chapter they can to let me know if I've buggered this up or not. Thanks, you've already made this so worthwhile with views and favourites etc. ^_^**_

8:24AM.

All the Titans were awake; Cyborg was cooking alongside Starfire, supplying the table with breakfast staples, while Starfire claimed she was doing the same - Tamaranian breakfast staples. Robin had finished his coffee, listening to Ravens' ideas and concerns over her home-dimension.

Beast Boy elected himself to bring the new guest something to eat and drink. Truthfully, he was just being nosy and curious, but the tower received few visitors who weren't attacking. Robin allowed it, seeing as he was the only one available outside of breakfast.

Starfire was a close second, but Robin worried that she could come off as a little overbearing, or too energetic. Until Elia had healed fully, Robin didn't want to risk a misunderstanding.

As far as he learned from Raven, this girl was a prisoner in Trigons' hellish prison, as was others from Azarath. Apparently, some kind of spell prevented them from using their powers to leave, while others were simply human converts - like Ravens' mother, Arella - and were therefore powerless in that realm. Raven was going to assess Elia's spiritual capabilities, or whether Trigon had nullified Elia's powers completely. According to Beast Boys' comments, Elia had begun to show signs of healing herself, meaning she still retained some power.

If so, that meant that she would be useful in extracting more survivors, and making a quick recovery. Still, Robin felt something edgy around her. She pops up out of no-where, crashing wit deathly force - survives - and claims she isn't a threat, while she had a hex within herself. The Boy Wonder mused the thought that she may possibly be an agent of Trigon, allowed to leave under the pretence of a distressed survivor. He would voice this to Raven in private. All it would cause now would be unrest within the team, and complaints he is becoming obsessed and irrational in his attempts to defeat the enemy. All he was doing was keeping his options open. Concerned for Beast Boy being alone with an unknown - a potentially powerful unknown - he asked Raven to keep her essence open to his feelings and reactions, so she could report any stress or injuries.

It worked both ways, Raven explained. Elia could sense - or should be able to sense - bodies and their intentions at close range. In her weakened state, it was best for Robins' concern to be expressed in one of the top floors of the tower and away from her readings. He didn't want to have to risk an incident, of course.

Down a few floors was a green teenager, walking with hospitality on a breakfast tray. Keeping its' weight and balance with one hand, he announced his presence before walking through the door. Her bed had a curtain pulled around it, for privacy and comfort. Stepping towards her section of the infirmary, he used the other hand to pull away the drapes.

"Mornin' - thought you might want something to-" He smiled, greeted by an empty bed. Confused, he looked to the left and right, hoping she hadn't fallen out. Nothing. Looking behind him yielded no results either. Placing the tray on the bed, he began to grow worried. Robin would flip out if she was wandering the tower, he'd assume she was evil or something.

"Thanks" Someone feminine said, sitting on the far window pane- 4 beds away from Beast Boy. Looking over to her, he saw that she was comfortably stretching out her legs and leaning against the wall. She was looking out at the ocean in the morning light. "Sorry, Raven said to stay here - but I was feeling strong enough to wander the room."

Elia, noticing his silence, turned her head to him and smiled - the least she could do considering he was being very nice to her so far.

"It's, uh, just some toast and fruit." He gestured towards the tray, hosting a plate of buttered toast, an apple, an orange and a mug of herbal tea - as recommended by Raven. Elia stared at the tray, hopping down from the window. She just stood there, incredulous, as if the tray were about to do something.

Beast Boy grew concerned. "I can grab you something else, if you don't like it, or-" He fretted, feeling suddenly awkward. He clenched his fists and relaxed them, stretching each finger: a habit he adopted within the military rulings within the Doom Patrol. It was a type of coping mechanism when he felt his focus slipping.

Speaking softly, she rested her hands behind her back and took quiet steps to 'her' bed.

"It's perfect" Smiling as she gained closer. She didn't take her eyes off the tray. Beast boy understood that she needed to become a little weightier, so he was unphased by her strange reaction to the food tray.

She hesitantly reached out for the apple, stopping an inch before her fingers could grasp it. Elia's hand pulled away, as if it were only an illusion. Beast Boy noticed her reaction, and felt concerned for her, urging her to eat.

"It's alright, you can have everything on this tray" He spoke, hoping his encouragement would be enough.

Elia looked at him, hand cradled near her chest like a child who was denied touching freshly baked cookies on the oven-top. She even adorned large, guilt-inducing eyes which threatened to spill with tears. Beast Boy couldn't help but feel guilt for her, so he picked up the apple himself, and offered it to her from his own hand, to show her everything was okay.

Looking at him, she realised this was not an illusion. She grew hopeful as she took it from him, taking a small, measured bite in case anything was amiss.

Her eyes grew in astonishment. This was a real apple, actual food. She spent so long trying to survive on whatever carcass she could cook, or whatever decomposed leftovers she could find, her months away made her crave the luxury of untainted _**food.**_

The bites became a blur as she made quick work at devouring the apple, core and all. Beast Boy took a step back, unsure of the extent of her appetite - or, more concerningly, her diet. He didn't know, Raven and her people were strange. He didn't know much about her, Robin and Raven had been all hush-hush.

Elia stood in front of the tray, finishing off the toast, and to Beast Boys' alarm, _**the orange with the skin still strapped to the fruit**_. She just bit into it.

"Wai-I can peel that for you if you'd li-" But it was eaten in full. Peel, seeds and fruit. Beast Boy was both creeped out, filled with pity, and concerned. She either was very hungry, or he'd have to explain Earthly eating habits the same way he did with Starfire - which was enough of an experience for one lifetime.

Elia took the mug in both hands, taking slow, gentle sips. She was savouring the taste, rather than downing the whole thing. Beast Boy confirmed that she did, in fact, have taste buds then.

In silence, she lowered the half-filled mug and closed her eyes. Elia had missed this feeling: full. Her mind felt warm, her body felt content and her mood was considerably lifted. These people gave her shelter and sustenance, that was safety to Elia. She would return the favour.

"Ah food, how I've missed you" She smirked, happy to just remain in this moment.

Beast Boy, having seen Elia walk around with little difficulty, and able to eat without pain, decided she was in high enough health to receive company. He picked up the vacant tray - worried she'd eat that too - and moved it to the table housing the monitor for her vitals. He pulled the chair towards her bed - the same one he was in before - and resumed his guardly post.

Elia, hearing the movement, sat happily on the bedframe, lidded eyes giving strong indication to her content state.

He broke the quiet first.

"If you're still hungry, I can grab you something else?" Asking with genuine concern.

She then realised how quickly she ate 'breakfast', not even stopping to taste the food properly. It must have looked incredibly rude, but she was starving for something nutritious to her body. Elia's face reddened with embarrassment, feeling uncomfortable. She imagined exactly how she must have looked in his eyes, cringing away.

Beast Boy noticed how peaceful she looked before, and now she was visibly on edge. With haste, he tried to apologise.

"I mean, i-if you want. You're welcome to eat anything - well, '_**food'**_, anything, but you know what I mean" He rambled on, trying to fix her esteem and trying not to cause her distress.

And then she understood. She didn't come off as rude, she gave the interpretation of being ravenous - like a hungry beast. Elia, a small teen, barely able to sow or repair a books' broken spine - and she came off as ravenous. She smiled to herself, imagining how 'intimidating' her tiny teeth must have looked to the boy, while she devoured her prey.

"It's fine, thank you. I was just _really_ hungry" She stated, her smile spreading to a grin. "I'm full now" she assured him. She felt in such high spirits, she considered playing with him, hinting that she ate people or something. She decided against it, still feeling exhausted.

Changing the subject, he hoped to avoid awkwardness again.

"So, uh, Eely, was it?" He asked, slouching in the chair.

"Eeelee -yah" She spoke, stressing each syllable.

"So, Elia-" Beast Boy tested the sound of it, earning a nod from the girl. He smiled, easy to say. "-How are you feeling?" He started small, not knowing what would upset her or not.

"Much better" She simply replied.


	7. Feeling better - part 2

"But if she only managed to 'escape through Raven' " Robin emphasised his disbelief and continued: "Then is there a way to conclude that she is free of Trigons' limitations?" He asked Raven, referring to Elia's claim to the purple haired girl that Trigon had diminished her powers. What Robin really meant was whether Elia's body contained Trigons' poison, and if so, can it be used by Trigon to force Elia to turn against his foes? He remembered how Slade was used, and how he had a strong influence.

Raven explained that she can access Elia's mind to find if there are lies, unseen holds or even live through the hexes to understand what her father did to the girl. From this, Raven will understand whether this girl was in fact sent here by Trigon - or whether she spoke the truth, that she truly managed to escape his spell.

"If I feel what she did, I can see and know what her affiliation is with dark magic - and how she became hexed" She stated. If Raven claimed this is the best step forward, Robin trusted her. When it came to the arcane, Raven was his expert, and no one knew boundaries and limits better than his dear friend. She had his support for her plan.

She decided that even though this was the best step forward, by feeling what she has felt, it could be catastrophic. If Elia was speaking the truth, and truly survived horrors, Raven would be exposed to heavy primal emotions, something she has avoided.

Even with Trigons' defeat, she still wasn't in full mastery of her emotions. She brought this concern to Robin, who placed his hand on her shoulder, and offered his encouragement, support, and willingness to find another way. Raven was continuously touched by her friends' attempts to keep her safe, and decided that if this route guaranteed her teams safety with the fastest results, she'd expose herself in the ritual.

"I saw you heal parts of yourself before you woke up." Beast Boy said, trying to spark conversation. She looked up at him. Stretching her arms, she realised that she may need to give an explanation.

"I trained in conjuration and empathy spells. I guess, you would know it as energy and healing - like Raven has." Elia stated. She explained that even though she is competent in this area of arcane knowledge, she is nowhere near as powerful as Raven. On the other hand, she has more versatility than Raven does, as she is not limited by destructive influences.

"Long story short, I don't have her Fathers' innate power within me, so I can't cause mass scale damage or spells. However, I don't have to worry about dark corruption the way Raven does, so my emotions are actually a benefit to my spells- not a hindrance." Elia explained. After 20 minutes of explaining and illustrating her talents, she began to explain her lack there-of.

"So, you can't cause major damage, but you can restore and heal and not worry about dark magic making your laugh explosive or something?" Beast Boy asked concerned about 'another Raven' walking the tower.

"No, I am almost to the point where I can control my powers without having to censor myself" She responded, looking away from him.

"But... I am concerned about 'dark magic', as you call it" Elia muttered, thinking about her restrictions since Trigons' little experiment.

Beast Boy was about to ask what she meant, but the door opened with a clean, metallic 'swish'.

"Good to see you're staying bed-ridden, Elia" Raven spoke, walking in with Robin hot on her tail. Elia felt a little on edge, she felt the room hold an essence of judgement - as if the room was prejudiced against her.

Elia was about to admit how she didn't in fact stay in bed, and apologise for her departure to the window seat, but Beast Boy spoke first.

"Yeah, hasn't moved since I came here. I'm surprised her toes haven't fallen asleep" He grinned at his leader and friend, trying to be as casual as possible. With his status as the clown of the group, he was the least suspicious character. He used this to his advantage to hide white lies, only when necessary.

Elia looked straight at Beast Boy, aware that he just lied. She wanted to expose his deceit to Raven, but she thought that if she got in trouble for wandering around the room as she did, it's probably best to follow this green one's example.

"It is a comfortable bed, I must thank you for your generous hospitality" Elia spoke softly, masking as much as she could within her emotions. She didn't want Raven to feel her dishonesty.

Robin walked towards Beast Boy, facing the girl.

"Did you sleep alright?" He asked, gripping the bedframe with one hand. He had an aura of strong determination and leadership qualities. Elia felt slight doubt within him, and a flicker of detached emotion. She understood that if she were to behave as a threat, he had no attachment to her to hesitate harming her.

She nodded, throwing as sweet and innocent a smile as she could, trying to persuade his inner feelings.

"If you're feeling better, I'd like to meditate with you, Elia" Raven offered. The room fell silent, waiting for Elia's approval. Elia knew this meant that Raven wished access to her memory, her mind, her subconscious and her thoughts - she wanted to see how this girl ticked. It was common practice within Azarath between those with the 'gift', so it was easier to understand your colleagues. It was also a highly regarded interrogation technique, and Elia knew that the Towers' residents were trying to determine whether she came here in good grace or not. It was as subtle as a significant other claiming that they simply wanted to 'talk', after a day of awkward silence and issues. Robin and Beast Boy must have missed the undertone to Raven's sentence. Elia adorned a serious expression, knowing this was it. Judgement defined - if she was guilty, Raven would find a reason in this method.

She nodded, throwing her legs off the bed. Beast Boy stood, taking a step away from his chair. Following a nod from Robin, he picked up the breakfast tray and walked towards the door. As Robin took Beast Boy's place in the chair, Raven stood in front of Elia. Raven began to explain to Robin the process, and give details on what would occur. Elia, knowing this ritual, allowed her gaze to wander to Beast Boy's walking form. A moment or two later, he stood in the doorframe, tray in hand, facing the small group. Smiling at Elia, he threw her an encouraging wink. This took her by surprise, and caused a small smile to escape her controlled demeanour. As he gently pulled the door to a close, Elia was reminded to pay attention to her company.

"Once that is complete, we'll exit our meditation, and I can confirm whether she has any of Trigons' influence." Raven concluded, standing with barely any movement. Robin only nodded, taking every word as gospel, willing to follow any and all instructions to make sure this process is successful.

"Until then, can you make sure nothing interrupts us?" Elia asked, cutting Ravens' listed instructions short. Both Titans looked at her, at first with confusion, but then with satisfaction that she was willing to co-operate. She did everything she could to prove she didn't bring evil into this realm. Wherever she was. All she knew was that she was in an infirmary on a plane with an ocean. She had not met anyone aside from Raven and the nice green person. She had no formal introduction, which led her to believe she was a prisoner - one with luxuries, but a suspect none the less.

Robin nodded again, having no expertise to add.

Raven took a deep breath, asking whether Elia was ready. Elia, in return, closed her eyes and held out her palms. Raven gently placed her hands a few inches above Elia's - willing an orb of dark light to form between the gravitational pull of their skin, settling for a small orb to gently bob between their hands. Elia returned the gesture, summoning a yellowish layer over Ravens' work. It flickered at first, but remained strong.

Raven then closed her eyes, and the two girls stood in that pose for the remainder of the session. Ravens' eyes began to glow with a purple and black hue, expressing how her magic was transpiring, while Elia's eyes received a flickering white and gold fog above her skin. Robin didn't understand the spectrum of magic well enough to discern the meaning behind these changes in colour, but he'd be sure to study it later.

Robin sat diligently for almost 3 whole minutes before he saw twitching. Ravens' expression was controlled, but barely so. Her eyes switched from relaxed to agitated, as if someone was forcing her awake. Her mouth often grimaced, but her hands remained stretched in a still formation with Elia.

Elia on the other hand, had her eyes open wide - glowing, looking into nothing in this realm - teary and distraught, her lips quivered. Robin understood that this affair was uncomfortable for the both of them, but it was coming to a close, as the orbs of light began to dim. Such a quick encounter established so much information.

Robin stood from his chair, ready for a report, as the air was too thick. Everything felt too still, too quiet. It was like the anticipation was building, and he could see why. Whatever these two girls were doing, they were seemingly 'powering down'. After a few uneasy seconds, Robin watched as Elia's eyes returned to their normal pigment. She blinked a few times, testing her sight, and composing her emotions. Her hands remained in link with Raven, who was still part of the connection.

Elia waited patiently. Raven would come back once she was ready. With a few steadying breaths, she watched as Raven disconnected as she had. Raven did not blink to adjust; she just looked at the floor.

Raven seemed off, as if she didn't realise she came home. Her hands were still in position, eyes wide and unwavering. Robin was concerned. Elia seemed at far more ease than Raven at this moment in time.

"Raven?" He asked gently, barely audible, unsure of how to gain her attention safely. He brought a hand up to touch her arm, but hesitated. She asked for no interruptions. It was at this point that Elia and Raven had both removed their arms from this position, and in synchronisation, allowed them to rest at their sides. This movement was enough to bring Raven back to the present, staring at Elia with a disturbed edge. Robin was desperate to know what she found out, but he must wait on Ravens' say.

"How...You still..?" Raven managed out in a raspy sentence. Elia seemed to understand. Raven didn't need to ask, Raven saw it through Elia's eyes, heard what she heard, and felt what she felt. Raven knew the answer already, but Elia confirmed it.

"I had to endure, I needed to find you." She stated sadly, as if it wasn't enough.

Robin waited patiently, concern leaving the room. Raven took a step forward towards Elia, which in return, forced Elia to lean away from her. Elia was taught to never get in close physical proximity to Raven, never force any emotions on her. Elia felt nervous, and her face showed clear uncertainty and discomfort. Raven placed both her hands on either side of Elia's face, tenderly, and pushed a heavy flow of energy into Elia's head. After a moment of shaking, Elia's eyes began to grow heavy, and her body became dead weight. Her limbs slumped, and her form crumpled, following gravity. Raven caught under her arms, and guided her gently onto the bed. After a moment of composing herself, she faced Robin.

As neutral as ever, she began to explain her findings. She explained how she had just purged any and all immediate connections to Trigon within Elia, making her safe while she was in the realm of Earth.

"Trigon now has no control over her, nor will he ever as long as she retains her purity. Her willpower was enough to protect her inner source, but Trigon and his minions tried many methods in order to break her spirit." She began, with strong emphasis on how it was a temporary measure, while she walked over to the chair. Robin felt useless, especially when Raven had to put herself through such emotionally draining ordeals, but he had no choice.

"Our powers are based on our core. If our core is pure, we use our powers for the greater good. If it has evil within it, we can only further evil." She continued.

"So, that proves her innocence, and she is okay to travel on Earth without risk?" He asked.

"Of sorts. She was severely damaged, however. Her quality of life would be lessened. My healing factor and her own was not enough to purge my fathers' taint. She'll be permanently crippled if she cannot find a cure soon." Raven admitted, never failing someone's health before.

"Crippled? How so?" He asked in a calm, controlled voice. He didn't anticipate her to be a full victim.

"Her powers are based on creation. Healing herself and others. Demons, dark entities, and evil forces cannot heal others; they can only further her own goals." She explained in simple terms, remembering her vigorous teachings from

"So, if the taint in her blood spreads, her healing factor means she'll never be able to fix her own problems." She stated with dread, as if it were the worst thing to happen. Robin didn't understand. He stated how that would just make her mortal, and she could live a normal life on Earth.

"It's not like that. If she can't access her powers, she can't delay the taint. It will still progress even if she loses her powers until her soul has been consumed." Raven spoke quietly, and with defeat.

"My father would receive her soul, instead of it moving on as it is supposed to. He, with enough souls, can return to power. Even if he is not there yet, the things he did to the souls he already had..." She shuddered. She remembered how her mothers' soul was almost ensnared on her 'wedding night', and how Trigon had been so forceful. In Elia's vision, Trigon had been finding creative ways to adapt and pollute souls in his domain. Raven saw it all.

"So, this taint. It doesn't control her like the Mark of Scaths' authority, but it will doom her?" Robin asked, looking over at the girl asleep on the crib.

"More than that. Trigon is experimenting with a succubus spell, draining its' hosts. Once Trigon has enough data, I'm sure he'll up his game." Raven placed her head in her hands, having an enormous burden placed at her feet. Her people were being used as pawns. As batteries.

"Is there any way to stop this?" Robin asked, keeping the girl focused on what can be dealt with. He always offered Raven his support, this time was no different.

Raven looked up. Gazing at the girl, she racked her thoughts for any clues, searched Elia's memories for any cracks in Trigons' defence.

"This is what I know:" She began, sitting upright. Robin listened intently.

"-She, and many others, were captured during the fall of Azarath." Raven tried to be as clinical about what she saw as possible. Robin understood those of Ravens' home were pacifistic. An invasion of Trigon would be near impossible to defend against with that lifestyle.

"-Trigon tried in _**many different ways**_ to expand his army. Indoctrination through the Scath mark, or through manipulation of double agents on planets he planned to destroy."

"Like Slade." Robin spat, remembering the ordeal. Raven nodded, then continued.

"Other ways were a little more...biological and unconsenting." She looked with pity and grief at Elia. She would bring up certain visions with her later.

"From there, Trigon gathered intel on ways to break willpower, break mana barriers and find out our limits. Again, he was as creative as he was ruthless in his attempts on Azarathian prisoners. "Raven spat through her teeth, disgusted. Again, this would be addressed with Elia in time. Such devastation cannot be summarised at first meeting.

"Lastly, he kept a hex from allowing souls to escape, thus furthering his progress on 'the taint'." Raven concluded, fists balling into furious tensions. Robin could only listen, could barely imagine the ordeal this girl must have gone through.

"If we are to have a chance at defeating this threat before it begins, Elia is necessary. Trigon never anticipated a runaway. If someone can get out-" She began, Robin already way ahead of her.

"Then we can get in." He slammed his fist into his open palm, determined to end this. "But, what about the girl? Could we send her back in under our instruction?"

Raven looked over at her, and replied: "She is dangerous to Trigon because she exploited his weakness and did the unthinkable. But she is also weak and flawed. We owe it to her to protect her, but she knows more than enough to keep herself safe, and her aid would be invaluable." She spoke fondly, Robin noticed her attachment. "Sending her back may break her delicate mental state. She _**just escaped**_, Robin" She looked at him with mild disgust, but he didn't mean it as disregard for a victim. More so that any unique quality this girl can offer would be a bonus right now.

"Is there anything...special about this girl?" He asked. Ravens' life was so private, he never knew who to expect was offensive or dear to Raven unless he asked. He had no idea whether this was a relative, a friend, or someone more.

"She's my ally from home, something I never thought I had." Raven announced, regaining some strength and hope.

"Aside from healing, she is proficient in energy transfer - which will be very useful. Trigons'...additions.. to her have augmented her powers with an unknown. She may be able to access his power soon and use it for her own benefit. I will train with her in order to keep this in check." She assured Robin.

"Other than that, as a person, I don't know. We weren't close friends when I left home." Raven admitted. She decided she would get to know this person, and help her.

"Well, she ...seemed nice?" Robin encouraged, gaining a small smile from Raven.


End file.
